Dulles Little League (DLL) is implementing a Middle School Baseball Program for the Spring 2017 season. This Middle School Program is intended to be an extension of the Little League International Juniors Division and is designed for more competitive play than the traditional Juniors Division house league. The Middle School Program will also give kids an opportunity to play on a team with kids that will be attending the same high school, which should foster a greater sense of familiarity amongst the players.

Each middle school within the DLL boundaries (Eagle Ridge, Farmwell Station and Trailside) will field one team comprised of eligible 7th and 8thgrade players. Team formation will be via a tryout and selection by the respective Head Coach of each middle school team. Players will only be eligible to attend a tryout for the middle school that they attend. Private and home school players will be eligible to attend a tryout and can be selected for the middle school team that they are zoned to attend.

Question: Who is eligible to participate in the Middle School Program?

Answer: Players of League Age 13 and 14 that are in either 7th or 8th grade will be eligible to tryout and can be selected for a middle school team. Players of League Age 12 or below, or those players in 6th grade, will not be eligible to participate in the Middle School Program.

Question: Which local little leagues are participating in the Middle School Program?

Answer: Assuming there is sufficient participation, each DLL team will play a schedule consisting of teams representing middle schools located within the boundaries of Central Loudoun Little League (CLLL), Loudoun South Little League (LSLL), and Lower Loudoun Little League (LLLL).

Question: What about players that reside within the DLL boundaries, but who currently attend Stone Hill or Belmont Ridge?

Answer: It was agreed between the participating leagues that if a school is listed within the boundaries of a particular league, then a player would register with that respective league for the middle school program, so that they could play for the middle school that they attend. For example, players that attend Stone Hill would register with LSLL, and players that attend Belmont Ridge would register with CLLL.

Question: When will the tryouts for the Middle School Program be held?

Answer: All Player Evaluation sessions will be at Replay Sports and Training in Ashburn.

· Eagle Ridge Middle School Tryouts: Monday, Jan 29, 2018

· Farmwell Middle School Tryouts: Tuesday, Jan 30, 2018

· Trailside Middle School Tryouts: Thursday, Feb 1, 2018

Question: What will the roster size for each team be?

Answer: Each team is expected to carry a roster of 12 – 14 players.

Question: What are the time commitments for the Middle School Program?

Answer: It is expected that each middle school team will practice once a week and play one game a week. The tentative plan (pending a final field allocation from the County) is for each team to practice on Monday and play a game on Thursday. The intent of this plan is to try and limit the potential conflicts between the middle school teams and travel teams.

Question: My player is currently on a travel team. Will my player be able to continue playing travel baseball if he/she plays on a middle school team?

Answer: Yes. Representatives from each of the leagues involved in the middle school program are speaking directly with the coaches of the local travel teams to try and ensure cooperation. As noted above, we are limiting the schedule to one game and one practice per week, and we have tried to identify days that do not conflict with most local travel teams’ current schedules. The middle school teams might also provide players with the opportunity to gain additional experience playing a position that might not be their primary position on their travel team.

Question: Will there be an additional cost to participate in the Middle School Program?

Answer: An additional $75 (in addition to the player’s regular Spring registration fee of $150) will be required from each player who makes his/her respective middle school team in order to cover the added cost for game and practice uniforms.

Question: Will a player that does not make their respective middle school team be required to play in the Juniors Division this Spring?

Answer: No, signing up and/or attending a middle school team tryout will not obligate the player to participate in the Juniors Division if they do not make their respective middle school team. While DLL would certainly encourage such participation, it is not something that will be mandatory. Should such a situation arise, any fees collected would be refunded accordingly upon request. Any players that are not selected for a middle school roster that decide to participate in the Juniors division will be entered into the Juniors division house league draft, and any incremental fees charged would be refunded accordingly.

Question: Who is coaching the middle school teams?

Answer: The Head Coaches for the middle school teams have yet to be determined and/or announced, and we are currently soliciting candidates. Consistent with the selection and appointment of all coaches for Little League, all middle school Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches will be volunteer positions and will need to be approved by the DLL Board of Directors. It is our goal to try and identify highly qualified candidates to coach each of these teams, and any interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Click here to apply to be a Coach.

Question: Will participating on a middle school team make my player eligible for All Stars?

Answer: Yes, middle school players are eligible for selection to the Junior All Star team..

Question: Are there any special playing rules I should be aware of?

Answer: Local rules from last season are posted on the DLL web site. Any changes to those rules will be posted once agreed by the other participating leagues

Question: Are there any special equipment rules I should be aware of?

Answer: Bats shall conform to the Little League Green Book standards outlined on page 65 for Senior league. All bats shall meet the Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR) performance standard, and such bats shall be so labeled with a silkscreen or other permanent certification mark.

Question: Who do I contact if I have additional questions?

Answer: You should send any additional questions to the attention of the Juniors Division Player Agent, Mike Beretsky, at
.

Question: How do I register my player for the Middle School Program?

Answer: If you would like to register for the Middle School program only, then Click here to register your player. If you would like to play in the DLL House juniors program if your child is not selected for the middle school team, please register on the DLL website.

NOTE: If you have already registered for the DLL house Juniors Division, you still need to register via the above link, so that we can compile the tryout list for the coaches. You will not be allowed to tryout unless you have registered via the above link.